Month: June 2026

Born and raised in Kennewick, Washington, Jennifer’s life changed forever in 1983 when a drunk driving accident at Columbia Park drastically altered her path. At just 18 years old, driving in her MG, she sustained a severe traumatic brain injury to her left frontal lobe. In an era when public and medical understanding of brain damage was in its infancy, Jennifer famously remembers, “I came out of the hospital thinking I was fine, but I wasn’t.”

​Decades before the modern resources we have today, Jennifer had to navigate a world that didn’t yet understand hidden injuries. Through sheer resilience, determination, and a passion for life, she rebuilt her world. Today, Jennifer lives in Portland, Oregon, with her dedicated husband, whom she married on June 1st, 1985. A lover of movement, family, and joy, she fills her days practicing Pilates, chasing fun adventures, and spending cherished time with her husband and daughter. Jennifer Nice joins us today to share her decades-long journey of survival, the evolution of TBI awareness, and what true resilience looks like.

Marc McNeice is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, brain injury survivor, neuroeducator, counselor, and advocate in long-term recovery. A survivor of more than 15 traumatic brain injuries that went undiagnosed for decades, Marc’s life has taken him through addiction, homelessness, psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, and eventual recovery.

Today, Marc works at Alternative Living Centers in Massachusetts, where he helps implement brain injury screening and neurologically informed education within substance use treatment. He has helped conduct more than 350 brain injury screenings using the NASHIA OBISSS system, with approximately 97% of screened individuals showing a history consistent with brain injury.

Marc’s mission is to help treatment programs, justice systems, and recovery communities “stop the bleeding” by identifying brain injury earlier, reducing misdiagnosis and shame, and giving people practical strategies to understand and manage their brains. His work sits at the intersection of brain injury, addiction, trauma, mental health, homelessness, and criminal justice reform.

John T. Krotec is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and Army veteran. After college, he went to work in corporate America and realized that despite doing well in the job, he wanted something more. He joined the Army later in life with the purpose of serving his Country. The Army taught him discipline and how to value himself. After three years of Active Duty, he left the Army and returned to civilian life. It was then that he got reacquainted with his future wife, helping her to raise a family. Together they also successfully ran a business for over two decades, selling travel gear and clothing.

In 2012, John hit rock bottom and survived a traumatic brain injury caused by an alcohol-fueled traffic accident. This unleashed his demons and forced him to finally cope with the trauma he experienced at a young age. Over this time, he almost lost his marriage and family. With months of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Hemp-Based Pharmaceutical (CBD) treatment, he developed his own healing system by using creative pursuits for coping with trauma and saving his marriage in the process.

John is currently involved with several creative businesses and holistic healing pursuits, which include: NeoMasculinity.Solutions, The Poetic Human, and Task Force Zen, Legacy Makers TV Series (Inside Success TV), and now, The People’s Artist sponsored by Johnny Depp.

NeoMasculinity Solutions Website: https://www.neomasculinity.solutions/

John T. Krotec Website: https://johntkrotec.com/

FreedomZone Hero Website: https://freedomzonehero.com/

The Art of Elysium: https://www.villagevoice.com/from-emerging-voices-to-the-oscars-how-the-art-of-elysium-is-launching-breakthrough-talent-and-the-peoples-artist/

The People’s Artist VOTING LINK: https://peoplesartist.org/2026/john-krotec